Medievil III: Blood and Bones
by Dream Dragoness
Summary: After a rejection from his crush and best friend, Zarok's descendent, Zane, has unleashed the forces of darkness. Now awakened in the 21st century, Dan must do one new thing in order to stop Zane: team up with his own descendent, Miss Danielle Fortesque.
1. Danny Fortesque

**Chapter 1**

**Danny Fortesque**

_Game order: Medievil: Resurrection, Medievil II._

_I do not own Medievil. Just the OC's._

* * *

><p>When you think of England, you think of royalty, tea, Big Ben, and knights. You may even think of magic. But mostly, you think of the legends. Among them is a tale of a knight from the lost kingdom of Gallowmere. It has become a common tale that had strained over the centuries. Only two families remember the entire embarrassing, true tale. The British Royal Family, and my family, the Fortesque's.<p>

The tale began in the year 1286 A.D, with the attack of an evil wizard called Zarok. This weirdo had the nerve to raise the dead to do his bidding and laid siege to Gallowmere. The 'hero' of the tale and my ancestor and namesake, Sir Daniel Fortesque, was a knight of the court of King Peregrin who loved to tell stories, usually ones that made up his so-called 'heroism'.

When Zarok attacked, the king, who believed in Sir Daniel's stories, made the storyteller commander of his army. However, on the day that the battle would take place known as the 'Battle of Gallowmere,' Sir Daniel, who had fallen back to pretend to tie his boot laces, was shot in the eye, making him the first casualty at the Battle of Gallowmere. That was the most embarrassing part of the story.

After finding out what Sir Daniel, we call 'Sir Dan' really was, the king and members of his court forged a story, saying that Sir Dan had fought bravely, defeating Zarok. In truth, Zarok had escaped, greatly weakened by the battle.

A hundred years later, Zarok returned and casted an evil spell to attempt to take over Gallowmere again. He stole the souls of the living, making them mad loonies, and raising an army of zombies and demons. However, he had not expected to raise Sir Dan in the process.

Now resurrected, Sir Dan traveled the land of Gallowmere, collected pieces of an artifact known as the Anubis Stone, and fought Zarok, actually killing him this time. The living regained their souls and sanity, while the dead, including Sir Daniel, returned to their crypts and continued their eternal rest.

But just when you think that the story ends there, you end up being wrong.

Five hundred years afterward, in 1886 Victorian London, Zarok's spellbook ended up in the hands of a greedy man named Lord Palethorn, who sought to use the books power to conquer the world. But like the warlock before him, Palethorn unwittingly resurrected Sir Daniel again. Like before in Gallowmere, Sir Daniel traveled London, fought, and defeated Lord Palethorn before returning to his eternal slumber. He was aided by my great-great-grandfather, who was a boy at the time; a mad scientist, a ghost boy, and a mummified princess.

As I have said, only two families know of the tale. The royal family and my family. I knew the tale because when Sir Dan was alive, the first time, there was a huge pub party that got a few barmaids pregnant. I was a direct descendent of the night. While the barmaid was bitter the rest of her life, the rest of the family overlooked the dead knight's journey and recorded it in private journals that was handed down every generation of the family.

Everyone in the family had their own views of the legend. Some believe it; some turn their noses in disbelief, and others, like me, just focused on their own futures. And that was what I, the youngest and one of the two remaining blood-born Fortesque's alive, was doing.

Until one fateful day.

* * *

><p>It started out as a normal day. Well, normal for me. I was snoozing in my bed, having already pressed snooze on my alarm clock, when I felt a pair of small, cold hands grasp my wrist and tried to pull me out of bed.<p>

"Oy, Danny! Get out of bed! Today's the day you get to meet Dan!"

I groaned at the child-like voice.

"Alright. Alright. I'm getting up, Winston."

Ever since I moved in with my grandparents after my parents died in America when I was five, I have been visited frequently by the ghost of a 12-year old boy named Winston. He and my grandpa told me that he was the ghost that aided Sir Dan in Victorian London. As I grew older, however, I was still skeptical about the dead coming back to life, thus I was still unconvinced that the stories of Sir Dan were real.

Once my feet were on the floor, Winston left. As I got my clothes, I remembered something. It was the day of the class field trip to the London Museum for history class. He was going to meet up with me. Upon remembering the trip, I fully woke up and got dressed.

I chose a white T-shirt with a short, denim vest and jean capris. I then put on some clean socks and white tennis shoes. After I brushed my red hair, I put it in a ponytail and put in some diamond stud earrings and an amethyst teardrop pendent around my neck. I emptied out my brown messenger bag, placed in an empty blue notebook and a couple of erasable pens before I headed downstairs.

When I got down, I found my grandmother at the table, hot breakfast ready.

"Morning, Gran." I spoke as I kissed my grandmother on the forehead.

"Morning, Danny. I take it Winston woke you up for the field trip, right?" Gran asked me.

I nodded as I sat down and began to eat my eggs.

"Yeah. He's really excited about going to the museum today."

She chuckled.

"I bet. He likes to tell the story whenever a Fortesque goes there. Did the same to your grandfather when he was a boy and when your father was young."

My grandfather, a former Sergeant Major during WWII, was practically a historian when it came to Sir Dan and Gallowmere. Since Winston became the family ghost in 1886, he would tell every Fortesque about the legend, including my grandfather. Though hardly anyone believed him, since the world is full of skeptics. And yet, I was one of them. As much as I want to believe, I was still a person who needed proof.

I finished my breakfast and quickly brushed my teeth before I kissed my grandmother goodbye.

"Bye, Gran. I'll see you this afternoon."

"Take care, dearie." She called as I headed out the door.

* * *

><p>At my high school, my senior class immediately went to our bus after roll call and we were on our way to the Great Museum. I sat with my study partner and a good friend of mine, taking the window side of the seat. Zane Zeffrof had been my friend since kindergarten, when I save him from some bullies that were about to give him a swirly.<p>

Zane's appearance could use a little spit and polish. His medium-length jet-black hair worked perfectly with his pale white skin and he was in good shape. But he's also your typical nerd. Very intelligent, weak, and poor eyesight and taste in clothing. I had to go with him when he got his eyes examined so that he'd get a decent pair of rimless glasses and not one of those thick frames. Today, he was wearing a plain white button-up shirt with a dark green sweater-vest over it as well as jeans and tennis shoes.

"So Danny, what do you think we should do our project on?" He asked.

I told him my plan.

"As soon as we're inside, we'll have to hurry to find the best exhibit before it's taken."

"And if it is?"

I sighed, hoping the next plan would never come to light.

"Then we go to the medieval exhibit. There's something…well, someone, there I know about."

We felt the bus coming to a stop and we headed out to the museum.

But as we entered the building, our class stampeded to find their exhibits. Zane and I looked all around, but we couldn't find any good exhibits that were still open. I groaned as I realized there was only one place to go.

"Come on, Zane. I guess it's Plan B."

I walked with Zane to the medieval exhibit, passing the weaponry and armor, tapestries, and other old artifacts as we headed to a room where I spotted Winston earlier. Thankfully, Zane didn't see him as we entered the room.

The center of the room had a wooden platform with a wooden 'canopy' over a wooden pedestal. On the pedestal was a skeleton dressed in armor with a red tunic. It was missing a lower jaw which no one knows what happened to it. On the floor in front of the pedestal was a gold plaque that said, "SIR DANIEL FORTESQUE."

"No way! We'll be doing our project on Sir Daniel Fortesque? This is brilliant, Danny. Absolutely brilliant."

Zane's enthusiasm outshined my apathy as we took notes. I told Zane about the common legend of Sir Dan, making sure I hid a few things (like Dan's humiliating death). In the middle of the note-taking, Zane realized something.

"Hey, Danny. Is Sir Daniel related to you? According to my calculations, there is only one living blood-related Fortesque and one that came in to marriage. That's you and your grandmother, correct?"

I paled, hoping the question wouldn't come. I wanted to lie, but Zane was smart. He would've figured out my lineage eventually. Seeing no other way around this, I told him, counting the 'greats' with my fingers.

"Yeah. He's my great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great grandfather. On my late grandfather's side."

That got Zane all riled up. As he began to ask various questions concerning my ancestor, I held up my hand and stopped him.

"Whoa there, Zane. Remember your asthma."

He used his inhaler to keep his asthma at bay while he gave me a look that was filled with questions.

"Look Zane, let's just get this report done and come up with a presentation. Otherwise, we'll fail history class."

That was enough to get Zane to put a cork in it as we did our report. A couple of hours later, we were finished with the report and we decided to stroll around the museum, since the two of us were the smartest in the class as well as the fastest when it comes to a report. We toured throughout the museum, gazing at the dinosaur fossils to the marvels of the modern world.

But little did I know that a simple museum trip would turn out horribly wrong by one simple answer.

* * *

><p>The last place Zane and I reached was the mythical creatures section, and I felt a chill down my spine as I caught sight of a model serpent-like monster and a mannequin of a warlock with spikes on the sides of his face. Zane recognized him immediately.<p>

"The infamous sorcerer, Zarok."

I raised an eyebrow at Zane.

"You know him?"

Zane was hesitant before pointing to a plaque.

"That plaque says it."

I didn't believe it, but I left it alone. As we looked around, I noticed Zane was shivering as we were looking around.

"Zane? You ok?"

I got really concerned when he gulped loudly before he spoke, stuttering.

"D-Danny? I-I've got s-something to tell you."

I raised my eyebrow again as I faced him.

"Ok?"

He then said something that started the Gears of Fate.

"I-I like you. I mean…I _really_ like you, Danny. Th-there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about you. S-so I want to ask. W-will you go out with me?"

My eyes were as big as dinner plates. My best friend just admitted he had a crush on me and wanted to go to the next step. My mind was frozen for a few minutes, debating until sighed as I told him the truth.

"Look, Zane. We've been friends since we were kids and have gotten close. As friends. But I'm sorry. I don't feel the same way toward you. You're more like a brother to me. But nothing more. I'm sorry."

I then left the room, leaving Zane behind.

* * *

><p><em>Third Person POV<em>

Zane watched, stunned, as Danny left the room. He couldn't believe it. She thought of him as a brother and nothing more. Zane leaned back into a wall, half-catatonic. He felt that way toward Danny ever since she rescued him in kindergarten. It took him to senior year of high school in gathering the guts to tell her how he felt. And for what? A rejection.

Unbeknownst to Zane, a familiar book in the Zarok exhibit began to radiate. It sensed his pain. It began to feed on his negative aura. And at the first taste of him, it recognized the aura. Slowly, the book began to levitate toward the catatonic nerd.

It was then a nasally voice spoke from the book.

"I can sense that you are of the bloodline of the great dark sorcerer, Zarok. Your energy rivals his."

Zane immediately broke out of his depressed state at the announcement.

It was true. Zane's family was from Zarok's blood. Although, Zarok created his heir 'unnaturally,' thus making the following generations only part human.

It was both an honor and a great shame to be related to the sorcerer who almost conquered Gallowmere. Unlike Zane, the majority of the Zeffrof Family embraced the bloodline and did vile things. Most of them ended up in prison or dead. Zane, even though he enjoyed hearing stories of his ancestor, didn't want anything to do with the mere mention of Zarok. He had already defied the family by befriending and falling for a Fortesque.

Zane pressed his back against the wall as he spoke to the book.

"I-I recognize you. You're Zarok's spellbook."

"Indeed." Said the book. "But with Zarok no more, I must be handed down to the most prominent of the House of Zarok. One who is able to handle even the weakest of spells. Throughout the centuries, the spell Zarok has placed on me enabled me to keep watch over the family. I had only one other for an owner, but he was too weak in mind for me. You, on the other hand, have the capabilities that will allow you to become a great sorcerer of the Dark Arts."

Zane gulped as he managed to speak.

"But I don't want it. I want nothing to do with the Zarok lineage."

But the spirit inside the book was prepared.

"Are you certain? What about the peers who torment you on a daily basis? What about gaining respect from the rest of the family?"

The book then said the strongest of the bait.

"What about _her?_ The one who had the nerve to shatter your heart?"

Zane paled at the immediate realization of what the book meant.

"N-no! Danny may not return my feelings, but she's still my friend!"

"And why should that be better?" The book bellowed. "Think about it. She must have been your protector since childhood. And how does she repay you for years of ridding loneliness? By rejecting your proposal to court? Think about it. Wouldn't you want to show her what you're really made of?"

As much as he wanted to protest, Zane had to agree with the book. After all these years, why wouldn't Danielle want him? Perhaps…if he took up the sorcerer's ways, he could finally have her. And his classmates thought of him as nothing but a moving target to vent their frustrations. Violently.

The vile memories upon their ascent ultimately shattered Zane's remaining sanity. He had enough.

Without another word, Zane grabbed the book, holding it high in the air with both hands.

"I, Zane Zeffrof, hereby accept the destiny that is to be mine! I will become the greatest Dark Wizard in centuries and finish why my ancestor, Zarok, had started!"

As Zane spoke the words, the book shone a dark light as the power of the book began to merge with Zane, changing his physique. His body became well-toned for a slim boy, his eyesight improved greatly that he no longer needed the glasses, his equilibrium straightened out, his asthma faded from his lungs, and his boyish voice got a bit deeper, as he cackled malevolently. The clothing he wore was replaced with blue and green sorcerer robes and donned with jewels on the torso and bell-sleeves and his black hair grew long and was tied back with a jewel tied at the end.

With the book in his hand and Zarok's magical trident in the other, Zane hurried to the roof of the great museum, opened the book, and spoke a familiar spell.

_O spirits of the abyss_

_I call on thee,_

_To cover the world in the Evernight_

_When the clock strikes three!_

At the incantation's words, a black ooze-like skull appeared from Zane's trident and blotted out the sun. While the denizens of London were trying to figure out what was going on, Zane read another spell.

_From the depths of the netherworld_

_The dead shall wake,_

_Come back again _

_And this world we take!_

This spell emitted a green, vaporous light that spread out in a ring around London. Everywhere the light touched, the citizens ran in horror as zombies and demons of every shape and size came from the ground and portals to terrorize and obey their master.

Zane laughed maniacally as he called out, "Since Gallowmere is no more; I'll just take the next best thing. THE WORLD! And I shall have Danielle Fortesque as my queen! My servants! Bring me Danielle Fortesque alive and unharmed! Eliminate anyone that gets in your way!"

But as Zane laughed, he was unknowingly witnessed by a single ghost. Winston floated away and hurried back into the museum.

"I have to warn Danny! Hopefully with this, Dan's up and about already."

* * *

><p><em>My latest fic. Sorry if it seems amaturish, but it was the best I could come up with to get the story going. If you have any suggestions on how I can re-edit this, feel free to tell me. <em>

_But DON'T FLAME ME!_

_Please review._


	2. Family Meeting

**Chapter 2**

**Family Meeting**

_Sorry for the long wait. Demands like crazy._

_A bit of a note before we begin. _

_One: If any of you are thinking this, Danielle is __**not**__ a Mary-Sue. You'd act like her if the dead started to come back to life and try to catch you. Plus, she'll learn to be a hero through experiance._

_Two: Sir Dan's mumbling speech will be in both italics and bold. So it'll look like this: __**Gallowmere.**_

_Otherwise, enjoy._

* * *

><p><em>Danny's POV<em>

As Winston raced down the halls to the back of the museum, I was looking for Zane. I felt bad about what happened, but it wasn't like him to disappear like that. Had I remembered that Winston was in the building, I wouldn't have stumbled into someone thanks to my untied shoelace.

"Oops. Sorry about that."

But as I quickly tied my shoe, my apology was met with a groaning sound. Thinking that I had hurt the person, I looked up, only to have gasped in horror.

In front of me, lying on the floor, was a zombie. Yeah, I'm not kidding. A real zombie. At first, I thought it was someone in costume makeup. But the thought deteriorated as I caught a whiff of the stench of decaying flesh that was hanging off the bones of the animate corpse.

I jumped back as the zombie, who looked like he was a middle-aged man when he kicked the proverbial bucket, staggered back onto his feet and gave a 'uuuuuuu…" in my direction.

Not wanting to find out what it wanted with me, I turned on my heel and ran for it. Thankfully, I had watched enough zombie movies at friends' houses and the story of Sir Dan to know that zombies were not fast creatures. But as I returned to the foyer of the museum, I skid to a halt as visitors ran screaming around with zombies _and _demonic creatures chasing after them.

As I was about to say 'what the hell was going on?', a familiar voice spoke from behind me.

"Ah. There you are, Danielle. My legions and I were just looking for you."

I turned around and saw Zane, in a freakishly new outfit, standing behind me with a book in his hand. I couldn't recognize him at first without the glasses, but it didn't take long for me to figure out it was him.

"Zane?"

With a smug look, Zane raised his arms out as if he was modeling for me.

"Impressed, aren't you? Hard to believe that _this _was hidden underneath the nerdy façade I had adorned for years."

I have to admit, he was looking pretty hot. But there was something about him that made him uneasy. As if the friendly aura I somehow felt around him was gone.

This was not the Zane I knew.

"Zane! What's going on? Why are there demons and the living dead…?"

I froze as I recognized the book in his hand.

"Zarok's spellbook?"

Comprehending it, I looked at Zane with shock, anger, and fear.

"_YOU _did this, didn't you? You took the spellbook and raised the dead! YOU called the demons here too?"

Zane gave me a hungered smirk.

"That's one reason why I fell for you, Danny. You're smart. Surly, you must accept my proposal with a bit of an upgrade."

I raised an eyebrow, not liking the way this was turning out.

"Upgrade?"

Zane kept his grin as he faced a large window that showed the outside world. To my horror, the sunshine had faded as if it was night. I looked around to find some sort of a weapon as Zane did his monologue; a cliché villain thing done in movies and books in all cultures.

"You see, Danielle. You are not the only one who was born into a historical bloodline. I have one, too. In fact, our ancestors fought against each other back when Gallowmere was on the map. Of course, while you ancestor was a clumsy knight, no offense, mine was a great wizard who would've become the next king of Gallowmere had it not been for him."

Grateful that I was in the Medieval Section of the museum, I slowly made my way to an encased sword as I spoke my answer, with both shock and curiosity.

"Zarok? Your ancestor was Zarok!"

Zane gave a light chuckle as he spoke.

"Indeed. And since then, my family, who were born into the line when Zarok created a homunculus offspring, despised the Fortesque family and many time tried to annihilate one or three members. But I wasn't like them. I thought about my future instead of a six hundred and twenty six years feud between our families. Oh, but don't get me wrong. I didn't know you were a Fortesque when we met in kindergarten."

"Then why didn't you tell your family about me? You knew that our families hated each other since Zarok and Dan's day, so why keep me a secret?"

Had I not been preoccupied with getting a weapon, I would've noticed that Zane slumped a bit when he answered.

"It was an act of love that I had decided not to tell my family. That love kept you and your grandparents safe for years. And it wasn't until last week that I decided that for the feud to end, our bloodlines must mix. It was that, and my personal feelings for you that gave me the strength to tell you today how much I cared for you. But then you said we should just be friends!"

Those words practically stabbed my heart. Was it because of me that this undead invasion happened? Was it my fault?

"But there's no need to despair. Actually, I should be thanking you."

"Thanking me? Why?"

"Because you've helped me to embrace my destiny as the king of the newly revived Gallowmere, not to mention the world as well. But, it will not be complete with one objective."

"And that is?" I asked, not liking the answer I was going to hear.

"I need a queen. One who has the…qualifications to rule by my side as my wife. I need someone smart, cunning, and beautiful. One who has seen me cared for me when others would rather squish me like a helpless insect. This is where the 'upgrade' offer comes in."

He then turned to me just as I was right in front of the sword case.

"I don't need to go out with you anymore. I want you to _marry _me! We are the right age, but we can revive the old marriage laws for our children. I just want you to say that you love me and that you will be my queen."

I was both ashamed and angry at Zane's response. Not only I wasn't ready to commit to _any _relationships, but Zane has gone off his rocker. A crash prevented Zane for asking me for an answer, giving me the opportunity to smash the case, grab the short sword, and run like hell down the hall, despite how heavy the sword was. I heard Zane call to his minions.

"After her but do not harm her! I want her alive and well!"

He then yelled down the hall toward me.

"You may have ran from me this time, but sooner or later, you will say 'I do' to me!"

As I made my way down the hall, more zombies came out from the other rooms and had their attention toward me. With the sword in my hands, I swung left and right, making my way through as I was looking for a way out of the museum and toward a safe haven. I was even more worried about my grandmother and praying that the range of the monsters hadn't reached that far.

But as I thought about my grandmother, I found myself at a dead end. Poor choice of words as I held up the sword against the horde of zombies lumbering about into the room.

It would take a miracle to get out of this one, and I was completely unaware that Winston was in the process of making on.

* * *

><p><em>Narrator's POV<em>

Winston quickly flew as he managed to head into the direction of the room where he knew Sir Dan was kept. He had to make a quick stop to distract Zane, giving Danny time to escape for a while. But he knew that this was something that Dan Sr. was familiar with.

Upon entering the medieval section, Winston caught sight of a familiar energy coming from the room where he was heading. In the room, the skeletal remains of Sir Daniel Fortesque jolted to life once more. A single eye appeared from the darkness of the skeleton knight's right eye socket, indicating that the boney cavalier was among the living once more.

Sir Dan groaned as he stretched his bones as he recalled what had happened the last time he died. After the chaos caused by Lord Palethorn, Dan had been laid to rest with the love of his afterlife, the Egyptian princess Kiya, in her tomb in the museum. Now, Dan had awoken again. This time, he was not with Kiya. Instead, he was in the replica of his Gallowmere crypt once again.

He was annoyed, of course. Having being pulled away from the Hall of Heroes, the mystical heaven where the worthy heroes go when they've died, during the celebration of the 724th Anniversary of the Battle of Gallowmere in the middle of the festivities. However, he was relieved when Winston came into the room, having met the child ghost in Victorian London.

Panting, Winston spoke.

"Glad to see that the spell has affected you, Dan. The world is once again in danger."

Despite not having a lower jaw (it is still a mystery of what happened to it), Dan managed to mumble his questions to Winston.

"_**Again? Why won't the bad guys let the dead stay dead?"**_

Winston answered him.

"It's because Zarok's spellbook remains intact. Right now, it's in the hands of his descendent, Zane Zeffrof."

Dan's one eye blinked in surprise.

_**"Since when did Zarok have offspring?" **_

Winston shook his hands as he remembered Danny.

"Later, Dan! Right now, there's someone who needs your help more than ever! Someone who is closer to your own family than you think!"

Dan raised a non-existent eyebrow at the statement.

_**"Really? Who?"**_

"There's no time, Dan! She really needs your help!"

Seeing the urgency in Winston's voice, Dan decided to set his questions aside for later and stood up from his resting pedestal. Since the museum has virtually unchanged since the 1800's, Dan had no problem finding a sword in the room across from his exhibit. After smashing the case and obtaining the sword, Dan followed Winston down the hall, taking out zombies left and right.

Finally, they made it to the room where Danny was trapped. Unable to see who needed his help, Dan went on ahead and began to cut down the zombies until their bodies could no longer contain the souls they carried. As the last of the zombies had been slain, he was now able to see Danny.

* * *

><p><em>Danny's POV<em>

After a few scraps and cuts the zombies finally began to cut down. But it wasn't mostly by my hand. I backed away from the horde and watched as the skeleton of Sir Daniel Fortesque took them out with a blade of his own. At this point, I could only gape in astonishment as my supposedly dead ancestor took out his fellow undead.

When the last of the zombies went back to being dead, the skeleton knight looked at me in what seemed to be confusion as I slinked down at the wall, trying to maintain my composure.

"What the bloody hell?"

"Danny!"

Both me and Sir Dan turned to see Winston floating toward me.

"Danny! You alright?"

I answered, still stupefied at the presence of my ancestor in the same room, undead.

"Besides having my best friend become a raving lunatic wizard and having whole horde of zombies after me and tearing London apart, pretty peachy."

It was Sir Dan looked at Winston, a mumble I could make out as _**"Winston? Who's this?"**_ as he gestured to me.

Winston and I looked at each other before looking back at the skeleton, me still trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Uh…Dan. This is Danielle Hazel Fortesque. Your…_direct_ descendent."

Even if he was already that color and had no flesh, I could tell Dan became pale in confusion and surprise as he looked at me. Nervously, I raised my hand and wiggled my finger and greeted my ancestor.

"Uh…Hey, Gramps."

It was then that Dan, my famous undead ancestor, passed out from shock.

* * *

><p><em>Please review.<em>


	3. The Hall of Heroes

**Chapter 3**

**The Hall of Heroes**

_I have returned. I had school and a major writer's block to get past. I like to thank **SaphiraRyuuka** for helping me get past the block and come up with ideas for future chapters. Live long and prosper, SR! :D_

_I do not own Medievil, only the OC's._

* * *

><p><em>Danny's POV<em>

I couldn't believe this. Not only was my dead ancestor, Sir Daniel Fortesque, was back among the living, but he fainted when he found out that he had become a father back in medieval Gallowmere who continued the family bloodline well into the 21st century. I didn't even know skeletons could faint.

"You can't be serious." I muttered before I heard something coming down the hall.

No doubt more of Zane's zombies. With Winston trying to bring Dan back into conciseness, I had to move a display case to block the double doors that closed off the exhibit from the rest of the museum.

I moved the display case just in time as the zombies on the other side began to beat the door to get it open. As I moved a second display case, I noticed that it held steel swords from katanas to scimitars. Even though they were museum property, I smashed a case and pulled out one, feeling that I would need a weapon in the near future. And I was right.

Despite the barricade, some zombie arms managed to break holes into the door and kept grabbing air as they tried to reach for me. I looked around for an escape route and settled for one of the windows that were a foot above my height. I grabbed a piece of wood and threw it at one of the windows, shattering it. As I moved some more display cases to provide a foothold, I saw Dan finally coming out of his faint.

"It's about time, Dan!" Winston told the skeleton as I placed the last of the display cases in front of the barricade to bide us some more time.

Dan rubbed his skull, trying to figure out what happened no doubt, when I called out to him and Winston.

"As much as I'd _love _to attend this family reunion, we've only got a few minutes before that door gets broken down and we'll all be zombie chow."

Seeing the beating door, Dan and Winston didn't argue as I climbed up the display cases and climbed out the window. I landed on my feet in the garden outside the museum while Dan landed on his bony butt and Winston phased through the wall. It was then we saw the chaos that was happening outside the museum.

Even though it was only 9:30 in the morning, it was night outside. Zombies roamed the streets, terrorizing the people of London, while demons worked on destroying nearly everything. What was Zane thinking when he made this mess? I had to figure out where to find a safe haven so Winston and I could explain what's up to my great-times-twelve grandfather and figure out a plan of action. It was a good thing that I lived in London and that I remembered that I have a personal hideout in the city.

Looking to Dan and Winston, I urged them to follow.

"Come on! I know a place where we can call a safehouse."

I knew of the place and it had a working phone I could call my grandmother and warn her about what's been happening in London. Of course, I could send Winston, but I needed some back up when I would talk to my ancestor.

The zombies didn't make things easier. I was glad I took a scimitar with me as I hacked away at the undead hordes, Dan doing the same with his longsword. At least the zombies proved to be a great distraction to the whole of London; people either panicked and ran like decapitated chickens or got out their guns and began to shoot down the undead corpses.

I then spotted the first vehicle that was the closest was a dark grey van across the street.

"Over there!"

As I dashed to the van, I smashed the window and unlocked the van door. I unlocked the back of the van and got in the driver's seat. But as I was about to reach into my messenger bag to pull out a paper clip to use in the ignition, I noticed something sitting on the passenger's seat. It was a chalice of pure gold. But that wasn't the weird thing. There was a plum vapor emitting from the empty cup and a strange, spiritual feeling with it. That must've been the reason why I felt that the chalice was important enough that I stored it in my bag as I started the van.

I waited until Dan managed to get into the back of the two-seat van and pulled the doors behind him to a close. With that, I shifted to Drive.

"You better hold on to something, Dan. This is going to get bumpy."

Dan didn't get a chance to respond as I stepped on the gas and mowed down some zombies. My poor ancestor didn't even get the time to grab onto the back of the seat when he started to bounce around, hitting the sides and roof of the van. I would've slowed down had our lives were not in danger. Well…Dan's unlife and my status as single.

I did make sure to avoid _living _pedestrians as I drove. The last thing I want was more guilt and for Zane to have more zombies for his legions. Everyone in town was either in full-blown panic or was trying to beat back the zombies. Some were successful; others were forced to run away with the rest of the populace. Had I not been paying attention to what was going on outside the van, I would've noticed that the smoke from the chalice was getting thicker and thicker with every zombie kill.

And zombies weren't my only problem. Across town, the power line wires were cut and live wires were sparking on the ground. But as I passed them, they took a life to their own and started to lunge at my tires. I looked in the side mirrors and saw that the wires were alive like snakes. Some were even trying to slither after me, but were kept back because of the poles. No doubt this was Zane's doing in trying to get me captured. Thankfully, my hideaway didn't have any lines in the area.

After an hour of zombie road-kill and avoiding living live telephone wires, we've finally made it.

It was an abandoned pub that had a history of underground activity during WWII, possibly before. The exterior of the pub was run-down and in disrepair. But the inside was different. After parking the van in a leaning shed behind the building, I ran to the back and opened the doors to find that during the ride, Dan was literally shaken apart and is bones were everywhere.

"Sorry about that. We _were _in a rush."

I gathered Dan's pieces and assembled enough of him for him to repair himself while I closed off the shed a bit in order to hide the van. Once those were done, I led Dan and Winston into the pub using the back door I keep unlocked.

The inside of the pub was cleaner than the outside. I made some repairs in the past and made it my little hideaway. There was an old bed near the northern window of the pub and another behind the bar. The furniture was repaired and I had been debating on decoration, since what was here left with the owners years ago. Under the bed behind the bar was the trap door that led to a series of catacombs that were used by soldiers during WWII as a bunker. I had little idea what the pub was before then, but I could tell the catacombs were defiantly MUCH older than the building.

As the three of us got settled, we found that the only sound that was being made was the wind making the building creak. Neither Dan nor I had a clue on what to say to each other. The guy fainted when he found out I was his distant granddaughter for crying out loud. And even I could see that this was awkward for him.

Unfortunately, what broke the silence was Winston's poor attempt to make a joke.

"Uhh…so. Why couldn't the skeleton cross the road? Because he didn't have any guts."

The two of us gave him looks. Dan's was in a pouting sort of look while I shook my head in disapproval.

"Nice, Winston. Real nice."

"Sorry. I-I'll just…go and…keep watch." He apologized as he headed up to the top floor.

After another moment of awkward silence before my ancestor finally spoke.

_**"So, uh…You are my *gulp*12**__**th**__** generation granddaughter."**_

I nodded and answered a mental question I knew he wanted to ask but couldn't get out.

"Yeah. Barmaid. The night before the Battle of Gallowmere."

I watched him scratch his skull, trying to bring forth old memories, and folded my arms as he found the memory and pinched his non-existent nose-bridge as he knew who I was talking about. I continued to speak.

"You had a son. Then he had a son. And so forth. I am the first and only blood-born Fortesque daughter."

There was another moment of silence that was broken when Dan noticed something.

_**"Danielle. Y-you're glowing." **_

I looked at myself and I did see that I had a purple hue coming from my messenger bag. I opened it and I saw that it was the chalice. I pulled it out and showed my ancestor. His eye sockets widened as he saw the chalice.

_**"Where did you get that?" **_

"From the van. Why? What is it?"

But Dan didn't get to answer my question, 'cause as soon as he touched the chalice, vertigo overtook me and I blacked out.

* * *

><p>Once the feeling of vertigo subsided and I regained consciousness, I was blown away at what I saw. It looked like an ancient Greek palace surrounded by clouds of different sizes, shapes and colors. I couldn't help but gape at this wondrous sight.<p>

As I took in the pearl-colored floor, I felt someone nudge my shoulder. I looked to my left and I spotted Dan standing there with a confused look on his face as if he didn't expect to see me there.

_**"Danielle? What are you doing here? How are you here**_?"

I couldn't help but be confused as well.

"What do you mean how am I here? I just held that chalice and here I am. Are you saying I'm not supposed to be here?"

My ancestor nodded.

_**"Danielle, do you know what this place is?"**_ he asked.

I shook my head as he answered.

"_**This is the Hall of Heroes. It is a place where the most honored heroes in history spend their afterlives. The only way you could possibly be here is for you to be dead and a hero at the same time, which you are neither." **_

He then looked to the Hall.

_**"I don't know how you are here with me, but I may have an idea of who might know."**_

He then started walking toward a very large dining area with large white pillars that seemed to go on forever as I still stood frozen in my place. The surrealism of this place was incredible; it was as if I was granted passage into heaven without having to die.

"**_Danielle, come on."_** Dan called, snapping me out of my stupor.

I ran to catch up with my great x12 grandfather, my shoes clicking against the glass floor with every step I took.

As we walked into the large beautiful space, I noticed several statues varying in size, posture and desired weapon, probably representing heroes of the past. As I took in the sights surrounding me, the sound of Dan talking to someone caught my attention.

Instead of seeing another statue, Danny was surprised to see a young man dressed in Robin Hood-esque clothing holding a crossbow.

"Captain Fortesque! So this is why you took so long to return. I always knew you were hiding something but this takes the cake." The man spoke.

Confusion my ancestor and I wore on our faces that I couldn't help but ask the man, since he was gesturing toward me.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

My question caused the man to become sheepish before regaining his composure.

"Oh where are my manners? I am Canny Tim, the archer who killed Zarok's champion that the Battle of Gallowmere eight centuries ago at some thee hundred yards."

I had to admit, that was impressive. Remembering where I was, I had to remember my manners and introduced myself.

"Uhh…Nice to meet you Tim. I'm Danielle Fortesque. Sir Dan and I were hoping you could tell us how I got here."

Tim almost fell off his pedestal in shock as he made the connection between me and Dan. He then turned to my ancestor.

"Captain, I've known you for centuries and not once have you mentioned you had any children."

Dan shrugged.

_**"I didn't even know until recently. Now, do you know how she managed to get here? She isn't even dead."**_

Tim thought about this for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no idea sir, but perhaps it will be revealed in time. Until then, Lady Fortesque, please take this crossbow. I'm sure you will have more use for it than I."

He then handed me the wooden crossbow he was holding in his hands.

As I took it, I raised it up and pointed it away to make sure the sight was accurate before thanking the legendary archer. Dan then looked to Tim again in surprise.

_**"What are you doing giving her your crossbow Tim?"**_

But Tim began changing back into stone as he gave his answer.

"I'm merely preparing her for taking on the Fortesque heritage, Captain. Now go on. Your quest won't wait for you forever. The Grim Reaper will send you on your way."

As Tim turned to stone, Dan and I found ourselves drifting back to the mortal realm.

* * *

><p><em>Please review.<em>


	4. Grandmother's Visitor

**Chapter 4**

**Grandmother's Visitor**

_I'm back. And just in time for Halloween. This is more of a "slice-of-life" chapter. But hey, it gets the story going._

* * *

><p><em>Danny's POV<em>

Upon our return to the Pub, I found myself shivering off the vertigo the trip gave me. On the upside, I've got my first non-vehicular weapon. On the bad side, according to Canny Tim, we had to find the Grim Reaper if my 12x grandfather and I were going to defeat Zane and set the world back to normal.

In addition, I have no idea short of death on where to find the Grim Reaper.

Before either of us could speak, I spotted Winston floating down from his lookout to check on us.

"What happened to you two? I just came back a few minutes ago and you've just disappeared!"

I held up my hand to calm the 140 year-old ghost as I spoke.

"Easy, Winston. We've just been in the Hall of Heroes."

After telling Winston about our being in such a sacred place, especially me being a normal living girl, we told him that we needed to find the Grim Reaper in order to find out the next step.

"So now the question is _where_ we can find him without dying."

The three of us remained silent, thinking about what to do when Winston got an idea.

"I'll see if any of my ghost friends know where he might be. In the meantime, Danny, you should check in with your grandmum. I'm getting worried about her and all those undead out there."

I immediately got worried when Winston said that. In my haste to get me and my two dead cohorts to safety, I completely forgot about my grandmother. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and headed outside while Winston spoke with my grandfather. After looking around for any of Zane's spies, I pressed the number on my phone and waited for my grandmother to pick up.

After a few rings, I got a voice.

"Hello?"

"Gran? It's me. Danny."

My grandmother sounded surprised as she spoke.

"Oh! Thank heavens! Are you alright, dear? I've seen that London is under chaos on the news! Are you safe? What's going on?"

I had to interrupt my grandmother in order to get a word in edgewise. When my grandmother worries, it's a pain.

"Ok, Gran. Calm down. Calm down. Take a seat and let me explain."

I proceeded to tell my grandmother about what was going on since I left the house this morning. Knowing my grandmother, she was anxious when I told her what happened to Zane and what he was doing to London.

But when I got to how I escaped with Great x12 Grandpa Dan, she relaxed, she freaking relaxed!

"Oh, thank heavens. So glad to hear that at least you're being protected, dear."

My eyes became the size of dinner plates when I heard this.

"Uh…Gran? You sure you're ok with this?"

I heard my grandmother "hmphed" on the line.

"Well of course I'm alright with this. Danielle, your grandfather and I have been prepared for something like this since our wedding. I knew your namesake would and will protect you. Especially after I have just had tea with someone who may help you."

I raised an eyebrow at this.

"Tea? With whom?"

"Why, Mr. Death, of course."

My jaw dropped. My grandmother, a sweet sixty-six year old woman, had _tea_ with Death himself? And yet she was still talking to me _alive?_

Ok. Granted, I wasn't sure at the time if my grandmother was still alive or not. What I did know was that we needed to find the Grim Reaper a.s.a.p. before Zane could get worse.

"H...he was looking for us?"

"Of course, dear. What Zane did is making him work overtime. He has actually hired several interns and is hiring more just to keep up. The poor dear was relieved when I suggested a cup of tea to him. And he was quite starving too. He ate seven scones before he left, too."

Again, I wasn't sure which the weirdest part of the day was. My grandmother was talking about her teatime with Death like she was chatting up with an old friend. Maybe she may have met him when he came to collect my grandfather?

Snapping myself out of my stupor, I spoke to my grandmother again.

"I…Is he still there, Gran?"

"Oh, my. No. He had to get back to work, the poor dear. But he did tell me where you could find him."

"Where, Gran? It's important that we'd find him."

My grandmother remained silent for a moment, no doubt trying to find a notebook on whatever she had the information on. What she told me next sent chills down my spine.

"Ah, yes. He is in Northumberland. He's got work in Chillingham Castle."

I've heard of the infamous Chillingham Castle. It was one of the most haunted places in the world. Learned about it from watching "_Scariest Places on Earth_." Even though I doubt the people on the show, I've always got the creeps upon seeing the castle.

And the entity we had to see was in this castle.

Lovely.

"Well, guess it means Grandpa Dan and I have to go to Northumberland. Will you be alright, Gran? Do I need to bring you to the Pub?"

"Oh, no dear. I'm perfectly fine. Your grandfather has made this house secure and Mr. Death has casted a ward on the house. So you're free to go and meet with him and not worry about me. If I need you, I'll call."

I was wary about leaving my grandmother alone with zombies and demons crawling about. As much as I wanted to double check, I had to hurry. From London, it was a five hour drive to Chillingham. So I didn't want to waste anymore daylight.

"Well…alright, Gran. But be sure to call me if something comes up. I'll send Winston to you just in case."

"Of course, dear. Good luck."

After I said good-bye to my grandmother, something in me told me she was going to have more fun than I was.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, at Danny's house…<em>

_Narrator's POV_

After she got off the phone with her granddaughter, Danny's grandmother looked out a window to her driveway, which a zombie hoard started to stagger towards her house. Calmly, she removed a hanging portrait of her wedding day, revealing a metal panel. She then opened it and pressed the first of 200 glowing buttons and left the panel.

Outside, sections of the house opened up to reveal weapons of every size and caliber from guns to missiles. And you know how in TV, there's a house or a fortress that is duked out in weaponry? Well that's what the Fortesque house looked like at that moment.

That was…until the weaponry started to go off.

As blasts could be heard outside, Danny's grandmother poured herself a cup of tea and retreated to her rocking chair that faced a large window in the living room. As she rocked, body parts started to rain down like a very Halloween-ish shower. But the owner of the house just sighed as she relaxed.

"Oh, dear. Looks like it's going to be a rainy day."

She then sipped her tea as she watched.

* * *

><p><em>Back with the Dans. <em>

_Danny's POV_

I felt a chill go up my spine as I looked up the best route to Chillingham on MapQuest. And it wasn't a chill of dread either. Had I known what my grandmother was doing at the time, I would've gone home and check the place for nukes. But Death was waiting for us and I didn't want to wait any longer to meet him.

I returned my attention to my cellphone once the data came through. I let out a loud groan as I saw how long it was going to take to get to Northumberland. According to my calculations, it was going to be late in the afternoon before we get there.

It was a good thing I packed a sandwich in my bag, because there was no way other than gas that I was going to stop.

I moved the van out and left it running while I went to get the others. I found them sitting at one of the bar tables as I approached.

"Well, I just contacted my grandmother and guess who visited her? The Grim Reaper."

Dan's eye almost fell out of the socket when I told him.

"_**What was he doing there?"**_ he asked.

I continued on with the explanation.

"Turns out he was there to have her pass a message to us. Apparently, we're supposed to meet him in the Chillingham Castle in Northumberland."

Winston phased through his seat as he spoke in fear.

"I…I've heard of that place. It is one of the most haunted places in Britain!"

I nodded as I pressed on.

"Well, he wants to meet me and Dan in the castle. In the meantime, I want you to watch over Gram while we're gone."

Winston was relieved to hear this while Grandpa Dan began shaking in his armor, which is weird since Chillingham was built _after_ he defeated Zarok in 1286 and shouldn't know about how haunted the castle is. Maybe he interpreted Winston's worries and that the word "haunted" got him shaking.

I then continued.

"Meanwhile, Dan and I will drive to Northumberland. And I would like to get going right away. It's going to take five hours to get there."

I heard my grandfather groan, not that I blame him. His first ride in a horseless vehicle wasn't pleasant, after all. But he also knew that Death needed to see us about what's been going on. We both just wished he would've chose a closer location.

After Winston left, I told my grandfather to ride in the back again. That last thing we want is to provide Zane with more zombies when other drivers see him. Which left me the driver. Good thing I've brought my wallet with me.

Once we were ready, I put my foot on the gas and we were off to Chillingham Castle.

* * *

><p><em>Just wait for when they meet Mr. Death. I've discussed ideas with SaphiraRyuka and found one that's really funny.<em>

_Happy Early Halloween!_

_Please Review._


End file.
